By Adam Swift
The city council will take up a request by City Manager Fidel Maltez to discuss the possibility of bringing municipal vehicle maintenance in house. At Monday night’s meeting, the council voted to discuss the request at a future meeting of its parks and public works subcommittee. “Our Department of Public Works has a contract with First Vehicle for the preventive maintenance of vehicles in DPW, Schools, and Police Departments,” stated Maltez. First Vehicle currently has two mechanics that are stationed out of the Chelsea City Yard, along with an administrative assistant that handles invoicing and tracking of vehicles. The contract is approximately $600,000 and covers preventative maintenance, and requires larger repairs to be invoiced separately, according to Maltez. “Our Fire Department has a dedicated mechanic that handles all vehicle maintenance,” said Maltez.
“The Fire Department mechanic has been in place for many years and it is incredibly successful. This mechanic participates in staff meetings and works with our Fire Chief in all aspects of fleet management, including ordering the proper new vehicles with the correct specifications.” Maltez said the DPW director has confirmed that most neighboring communities perform vehicle maintenance in house.
During the subcommittee meeting, Maltez said the DPW will present a transition plan to bring vehicle maintenance in house. “We believe that we will be able to do this service cost effectively, but more importantly, we will be able to create at least two good paying jobs for Chelsea residents that can work for the city,” Maltez stated. “We look forward to discussing this further with the city council.” Maltez originally requested the discussion be taken up in a subcommittee on conference, but District 7 Councilor Manuel Tesherequested the meeting be moved to the parks and public works subcommittee, since the request would affect the public works department.